Ultrasound during pregnancy

Ultrasound

What is Ultrasound ?

Ok so you are going to have an ultrasound soon and its all very exciting, here are some background details about Ultrasound to keep you informed.

Brief History of Ultrasound

Ultrasound is not new; in fact ultrasound has been around for use of imaging the human body for over fifty years now. In fact its one of the most used techniques in diagnostic medicine. One of its biggest benefits and probably why it is so widely used is the fact that it is very portable and inexpensive to use compared to other techniques such as CT or MRI approaches.

The medical term of Sonography is also known as Ultra-sonography and is used to see your muscles, tendons and organs. It's used to view and measure the size of them and any damage that may or may not be there. However, In pregnancy circles its used to see the fetus during your prenatal care and is very commonly used to produce pictures of baby. Ultrasound care is safe to mother and baby according to family magazines, research papers and the medical profession as it does not use something called ionizing radiation.

Ultrasound however does cause molecular friction and heats tissue very slightly, which the current medical opinion is that the benefits far outweigh the risks.

Who does the Ultrasound ?

The Ultrasound scans are performed by Sonographers, who are medically trained to interpret the images and to be able to track growth and other indicators.

So what is a Ultrasound used for then ?

- Confirmation of the date of your pregnancy
- Where your Fetus is located
- Location of placenta to cervix
- Twins
- Any problems / complications
- Growth , movement and heartbeat
- Is it a Boy or Girl ?

How do Ultrasounds actually work then ?

Ultrasound uses sound pressure with a frequency that is more than a human ear is able to hear. Typically a humans top end range is around the twenty kilohertz (20 kHz) level. Ultrasounds use high frequency and sound waves that effectively build up a picture of baby on the screen that will be in front of you to see. The handheld device is put against the abdomen of the pregnant mother with some gel that then feeds back images. This provides a live internal picture .

Any concerns you may have must be raised with your doctor, as always seek professional medical help if you are not sure of anything.

Some hospitals will not tell you the sex of the baby, others will tell you. You are usually able to ask for the photos of the baby and they will give it you. Sometimes a small payment or donation is asked for.

Interestingly, ultrasound has many uses outside of the pregnancy area such as cleaning, various industrial uses, humidifier, ID, vets usage and is also used by some animals such as bats.







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